Urho Vaakanainen, Boston Bruins prospect, on expectations this season: 'My goal is to get a spot in Boston'

Updated June 14, 2018 at 2:33 PM;Posted June 14, 2018 at 2:27 PM

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Urho Vaakanainen poses for photos after being selected 18th overall by the Boston Bruins during the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)(Bruce Bennett)

Will Boston Bruins top prospect Urho Vaakanainen make the jump up from the Finnish Elite League to the NHL this season?

Probably not. For every outlier like Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak that only needed a few weeks of seasoning in the AHL before joining the Bruins, there's countless prospects that need a year or more of additional development before logging regular minutes up with the big club. (See: Jake DeBrusk).

"Of course, my goal is to get a spot in Boston, but other than that, I don't really have any expectations," Vaakanainen said. "I'm just part of the camp trying to be as good as I just can be and play as well as I can and try to get the spot. That's my only goal for the camp."

Vaakanainen, 19, will compete for a roster spot during Boston's training camp in September, with the defenseman looking to build off a strong 2017-18 campaign in Finland.

While playing with SaiPa, Vaakanainen tallied four goals and seven assists over 43 games while serving as a dependable presence on the blue line.

Of course, Vaakanainen expects some growing pains with the move to North America, especially given the amount of ice -- or lack thereof -- that he has to work with.

"It's a smaller rink, and the game is a bit more physical and faster - faster, I guess," Vaakanainen said. "I just think that the smaller rink, I think, is the biggest thing for me, and, of course, living in North America is different than in Finland, so maybe those two things."

The 6-foot, 185-pound blue liner also acknowledged that he will need to improve his overall game if he wants to earn regular minutes.

"I have to get a bit stronger and just overall better in everything," Vaakanainen said. "Have to work on my shot a lot this summer and just playing on the offensive blue line getting shots to the net through the traffic. That's probably the biggest thing that I have to improve."

Before training camp, Vaakanainen will be back in Boston starting on June 26 for the start of Development Camp at Warrior Ice Arena.

While Boston already has players like Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Matt Grzelcyk set on the left side of the blue line, Vaakanainen will be an intriguing option for the organization going forward.

"Really excited," Vaakanainen said of joining the Bruins. "Just dream come true. I've been dreaming of this since I was a little kid, so it's been an exciting few days here. Can't wait to get there and get things started."